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On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment magazine in the UK“, we check out a new study has into the UK’s most popular entertainment websites, and ask what makes them so successful.
The internet provides a never-ending stream of entertainment options, from hilarious cat videos to heart-stopping documentaries. But with so many websites vying for our attention, which ones reign supreme in the hearts (and thumbs) of UK audiences? A recent study has shed light on the most popular entertainment websites in the UK, sparking a burning question: what makes them tick?
SEO agency Digital Climax analysed annual web traffic data to find the UK’s most popular entertainment websites over the past year based on the number of visits they received each month. Using SEMrush, they compiled a list of the country’s twenty most visited entertainment websites, and then used Ahrefs to find the estimated number of UK visitors throughout 2023.
The UK’s Most Popular Entertainment Websites
Amazon
Amazon ranked as the most popular entertainment website across the UK in 2023, with approximately 1.4 billion total visits in the past year alone. With film, television, and music streaming on offer alongside its primary shopping services, Amazon received an average of 116.9 million monthly visits. Brits visited the site the most in July, where it received approximately 130 million website visits.
Amazon has become a one-stop shop for entertainment needs. Stream movies and TV shows with Prime Video, listen to millions of songs with Amazon Music, lose yourself in audiobooks with Audible, and even fire up your favorite video games through Amazon Games and Twitch integration. This convenience factor keeps users within the Amazon ecosystem, reducing the need to juggle multiple subscriptions and logins.
The ability to access Amazon Entertainment across various devices, from smartphones and tablets to smart TVs and gaming consoles, makes it incredibly user-friendly. You can watch your favorite shows on the go or curl up on the couch for a movie marathon – the choice is yours.
Sky
Sky came second with around 196 million total visits throughout 2023. It had the most visits in February last year, at around 17.7 million visits, and receives an average of 16.1 million visits each month. Sky is known as the UK’s largest pay-TV broadcaster, providing video-on-demand and TV channels for news, sports, and many other entertainment categories.
Sky holds exclusive rights to broadcast a significant portion of Premier League matches, the crown jewel of British football. This is a major draw for many sports fans, particularly those who are die-hard supporters. They also offer a variety of genres beyond sports, including documentaries, dramas, comedies, and children’s programming. This caters to a wide range of viewer preferences, keeping families and individuals engaged.
Sky allows users to access content through various devices, including Sky Q and Sky Glass set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, and laptops, offering flexibility in how viewers consume content.
Netflix
Netflix took third place with 119.9 million visits in 2023. The subscription- based streaming service was most popular in January, receiving around 11.1 million visits, and garnering an average of 9.9 million visits each month. Netflix features many original productions, alongside films and shows acquired from other companies for viewing on demand.
The Netflix library offers a vast array of genres, including dramas, comedies, documentaries, children’s shows, and international content. This caters to diverse audiences and keeps users engaged. Advanced algorithms suggest content based on viewing history, helping users discover new shows and movies they might enjoy.
A single subscription provides access to the entire library, offering perceived value compared to renting individual movies or subscribing to multiple platforms.
Daily Express
The Daily Express came fourth with around 103.8 million visits throughout 2023. It had the most hits in January 2023, with 11.1 million visits, and receives an average of 8.6 million web visits per month. The digital platform of the Daily Express and Sunday Express, has online access to global news stories and additional entertainment like puzzles and games.
The website prioritizes eye-catching visuals like photos and videos alongside their articles, making the content more engaging for casual readers. Additionally, the user-friendly layout makes navigation and information access easy.
Radio Times
Radio Times ranked fifth with approximately 73.4 million visits in 2023. Known for its television and radio programme schedules, the website had the most visits in January 2023, with 6.9 million total visits, and receives an average of 6.1 million visits per month. Radio Times also provides film, TV, and entertainment news and interviews with many of the biggest stars.
It is no secret that the British public enjoys sitting down to watch television most nights. In fact, Brits spend an average of 260 minutes per day watching content across multiple platforms, according to a monthly viewing summary from the Broadcasters Audience Research Board.
This has rapidly expanded to the wider offerings available via online platforms in recent years, which can be seen with the top three entertainment websites in the UK revealed to be streaming services.
However, it should be noted that although Amazon took first place, this also includes any visits for their online shopping as well as their entertainment offerings.
It would be valuable to keep an eye on these figures to see which platforms keep growing in popularity each year and the types of entertainment that the British public prefer to consume online.
-Axl Van Steenacker, SEO specialist and founder of Digital Climax
Top 20 Entertainment websites across the UK in 2023:
| Rank | Website | Average number of monthly web visits | Average number of web visits in 2023 |
| 1. | amazon.co.uk | 116,956,102 | 1,403,473,223 |
| 2. | sky.com | 16,340,298 | 196,083,572 |
| 3. | netflix.com | 9,997,340 | 119,968,075 |
| 4. | express.co.uk | 8,656,844 | 103,882,127 |
| 5. | radiotimes.com | 6,118,725 | 73,424,698 |
| 6. | itv.com | 4,705,334 | 56,464,008 |
| 7. | rottentomatoes.com | 4,259,409 | 51,112,902 |
| 8. | spotify.com | 3,789,122 | 45,469,468 |
| 9. | digitalspy.com | 2,267,224 | 27,206,685 |
| 10. | genius.com | 2,203,597 | 26,443,158 |
| 11. | ticketmaster.co.uk | 2,140,422 | 25,685,066 |
| 12. | msn.com | 2,091,649 | 25,099,788 |
| 13. | disneyplus.com | 1,800,360 | 21,604,325 |
| 14. | screenrant.com | 1,292,552 | 15,510,623 |
| 15. | bing.com | 1,055,512 | 12,666,146 |
| 16. | gamerant.com | 913,167 | 10,958,006 |
| 17. | deviantart.com | 715,505 | 8,586,058 |
| 18. | dailymotion.com | 560,322 | 6,723,865 |
| 19. | gamespot.com | 416,2167 | 4,994,598 |
| 20. | movies7.to | 29,563 | 354,754 |
Sources: Semrush, Ahrefs, Barb
Complete dataset: UK’s Most Popular Entertainment Websites Data
Methodology:
Semrush was used to find the most popular entertainment websites in the UK for 2023 based on the number of visits they received each month. The top twenty most visited websites in the entertainment category were selected from these results and their estimated web traffic for each month of the year was determined using Ahrefs.
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